This was a good MG graphic novel, with great characters, and unique art!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Gemma is the only girl left in a house full of boys after her mom leaves the family. She is exhausted, overburdened, and has no friends to turn to. Her dad works long hours leaving notes on what she should cook for dinner or what chores she should do. On top of it all, she feels overshadowed by her slightly older brother, who is a baseball star getting ready to go away with a traveling team.

Gemma's story tugged at my heart strings so much, especially as a mama. She was desperate for her mom to come back and kept the hope up after a year. She was being crushed by all the adult expectations heaped on her but she still does her best to care for everyone in the family, over her own needs. I really loved the focus on Gemma and her older brother's relationships. Stories about siblings always get me, and the relationship between them is so sweet. I'm guessing my 6 year old didn't understand all the deeper themes in this book, but he still really enjoyed the story of Gemma finding her own way, and he said he loved it

This graphic novel is about a girl, Gemma Hopper, who likes to play baseball. She is trying to figure out who she is. She experiences family problems which can be relatable to readers. Recommended for grades 6-8

This was such a wonderful coming of age story about how the people around us inspire and create our thoughts about ourselves. It such a wonderful look at how we can grow and become who we are meant to be and the people around us can grow with us!

Phenomenal book about a girl baseball player who is not only overshadowed by her athletic older brother, but also her overwhelming home life. Gemma is balancing being in middle school, taking care of her family, and finding her own way. We need more books like this with female protagonists.

I found this book a bit repetitive. While the plot is straightforward and easy to follow the ideas are basic and repeated over and over. The dad values baseball skills above everything else and can't see the pressures he is putting on his children, the ways he undervalues Gemma. It's an interesting exploration of parental expectations and acceptable for a middle grade audience, especially as the illustrations have a great sense of movement.

Gemma‘s family life is a bit of a mess. This is illustrated best through her inability to complete a family tree. Her mom walked out on the family a year ago and has left her playing mom to her younger and older brothers. The one thing she has going for her is baseball. She doesn’t play. She just pitches balls to her big brother, who is the towns biggest sports star. He’s headed out to a fancy sports team that travels in Florida. That’s going to be a big change from living in Rhode Island. This book is lovely and one can feel the love of the sport. I think, even non-baseball lovers will find the story of t Gemma, on the brink of womanhood, an interesting read. We see her come to terms with life and realize that certain things are not as bad or as good as she thought they were, and that she is OK with that.

2.5 stars

I had a really hard time connecting to this story for many reasons. Overall, this is a book about family and family dynamics. It tackles issues of division of responsibilities, gender norms, and neglect.

The issues I had with this book included that the main character had so many things going wrong with her life that she spends a lot of it miserable and bitter. The best relationship she has with her family is with her older brother Teddy, and even then, their relationship was kind of hard to cheer on because there was a lot of lack of communication and empathy between them.

The characters in this book are very young (I felt the art made them look much older, which probably worked against this point), but it is understandable that they would be emotional immature and have a lot of growth to do. This might be one of those cases where the age gap between me and the intended audience was too much to bridge.

After Gemma's mother leaves the family, she feels as though she has to give up herself to help the family function. Not only tasked with school, cleaning, and cooking; her older brother, the golden child, also makes demands on her time. When things take a sideways turn, Gemma and her brother realize that they both feel the pressure to perform and see that there may be more than one way to solve their problems. An excellent read that rings true. Highly recommend for middle school collections.

After Gemma's mother left, she carries the burden of holding the family together. This doesn't leave a lot of time to pursue her passion for baseball. Her brother, Teddy, is the baseball star of the family. But, when a video of her pitching goes viral it looks like it might be her big chance too.

This book does a great job of realistically portraying the impacts of a mother abandoning her family. Gemma and Teddy both feel responsibility beyond their years, and feel resentment towards each other. Beyond the home, the issues carry into school as Gemma is assigned a school project about her family history. She's also faced with typical changes in teenage friendships, when her oldest friend seems more interested in impressing popular kids than Gemma's feelings.

Despite the problems explored in the story, Fox Point's Own Gemma Hopper, doesn't feel like a "heavy" book. The graphic novel format adds a lightness by showing the emotions through pictures. The focus on baseball also makes it high interest for young readers. It was very refreshing to have a sports-centered book with a female protagonist.

Title: Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper
Author: Brie Spangler

I’m so excited for this new middle grade graphic novel by Brie Spangler. I'm always looking for new graphic novels, not just for my students, but also for my own children. I think Fox Point's Own Gemma Hopper is fantastic in that it fits a niche category...graphic novels with a female lead that loves sports. I appreciate how Gemma has other responsibilities and isn't always able to just drop everything in order to do something she loves. There are many middle grade-YA readers out there that will be able to relate to this struggle. This is a title that I will absolutely be adding to my high school library and I will also recommend it to my colleague at the district's middle school library.

⚾️Synopsis⚾️

A heartwarming graphic novel about a baseball-obsessed 7th grader, trying to find her place in the sports world and her family.

In their tiny corner of Fox Point, Rhode Island, Gemma Hopper’s older brother, Teddy, is a baseball god, destined to become a Major League star. Gemma loves playing baseball, but with her mom gone and her dad working endless overtime, it’s up to her to keep the house running. She’s too busy folding laundry, making lunches, getting her younger twin brothers to do their homework, and navigating the perils of middle-school friendships to take baseball seriously.

But every afternoon, Gemma picks up her baseball glove to pitch to Teddy during his batting practice–throwing sliders down and away, fastballs right over the middle (not too fast or he’ll get mad), and hanging curveballs high and tight.

Could baseball be Gemma’s ticket to the big leagues or will it mean the end of her family as she knows it?

Again I have found an amazing Contemporary Middle Grade Graphic Novel which literally made me feel all warm and fuzzy and at times in tears willing the main character Gemma Hopper to get that happy ending everyone no matter their age dreams of.


For Gemma who is a 7th Grader does not have the life you think she might have at that age instead she is Mum to her younger twin brothers, her Dad's wife and while he is absent working she picks up the pieces and finally she is her brother's Pitcher. No one had time for Gemma who even stopped to consider what she needed.

Then something happens and that is all I am saying on the matter except to say that it showed that Gemma could make her own story and she didn't need a Fairy Godmother.

Thank you Brie for writing such an uplifting novel and for all the reasons I am giving Fox Poin'ts own Gemma Hopper 4 stars

Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper is a fantastic middle grade graphic novel about growing up and finding yourself. It is a beautiful story about siblings’ love and a shared passion. It also highlights the pressure that parents can sometimes put on their children’s shoulders. Even if I am not particularly a baseball fan, I was really interested in Gemma’s strength and her quest to find what makes Gemma, Gemma.

This is a fantastic sports themed graphic novel that is about far more than baseball. Gemma must pick up the slack when her mom leaves and her father begins working extra shift. Gemma cares for her younger twin brothers and her older brother, Teddy, who is an all-star baseball player, while also navigating middle school. This story will resonate with readers and make them think about what they really want and what would they do if they were in Gemma's shoes. Great addition for middle school collections.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley.)

Thirteen-year-old Gemma Hopper is having a rough year. After her mom abandoned the family without an explanation, she became the de facto "mother" of the house: cooking, cleaning, caring for her younger twin brothers - and throwing pitches for her older brother Teddy.

Gemma is, in the author's words, "the wrong key for every lock in her life: too tall, too awkward, too weird-looking." It doesn't help that her older brother is THE Teddy Hopper, a star hitter and minor local celebrity: just one of twenty-six boys on the Eastern Seaboard invited to join the All-Atlantic Team. If you'd think that some of Teddy's popularity would rub off on Gemma, you'd be wrong. Gemma feels like she's forever being compared to her older brother - and always coming up short.

Until the day Gemma finally channels her anger, and she strikes the golden boy out during practice. A video of her wicked arm goes viral and, before she knows it, Gemma's got a real shot at getting out of Fox Point too. But healing fractured relationships - with her brother Teddy, best friend Bailey, and her dad - might prove the greatest challenge of all.

FOX POINT'S OWN GEMMA HOPPER is a bittersweet story about a tween - and a family - who's barely holding it together. While we experience the story through Gemma's eyes - and feel plenty of righteous indignation on her behalf - it quickly becomes clear that Teddy's life isn't all cupcakes and puppy dogs either. It's not easy coming from a baseball family, being named after Ted Williams, and seeing one's hobby turned into the family's meal ticket. Teddy's going through SOME STUFF too, and I love the way the siblings band together by story's end. Dad's a little more difficult to forgive, in the way he fails to recognize and nurture the talent in his one daughter, the way he does his son's. But at least he comes around in the end.

You don't have have to love baseball to enjoy FOX POINT'S OWN GEMMA HOPPER (though it certainly doesn't hurt). There's plenty of teenage awkwardness and family conflict so that everyone can find something to relate to.

"I hope readers find this story of unrealized dreams that find their place in the sun to be a source of quiet inspiration"

- Author/Illustrator Brie Spangler

Gemma Hopper has lived under the shadow of Teddy Hopper, the 14-year-old Baseball prodigy. Once upon a time, the game was a simple pastime where she had to just throw the ball at her brother. Gemma grew up to despise the game predominantly because Teddy hogged the limelight whereas she had to take care of her ever-growing family without a parental figure around.

A video of Gemma striking out her brother just before he sets off for a playoff against All-Pacific on invite blows up which makes Teddy furious.

The tussle between the siblings is on. Bailey and Gemma's friendship hangs in a thin thread. Will Gemma be able to shed her inhibitions and bloom to her fullest spirit?

Between unfulfilled dreams underneath a looming cloud of grief, there lies a girl who wants to live a normal life with a loving family.

The relationship between Gemma and her brother though had serious downs, yet in the end, became each other's biggest support systems.

The single color scheme followed throughout the book had something to do with the somber tone of the story. Navigating and holding on your own in a tumultuous family, holding onto a fragile thread of hope, managing relationship dynamics in a dysfunctional family, and drifting towards peer pressure, all these elements were well balanced.

Though this graphic novel is directed towards younger readers, fans of baseball or any curious reader can choose this book for the beautiful message it conveyed and the themes covered.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me this arc in exchange for an honest review*

"And maybe I will fail, but I deserve the chance to try."

This is a graphic novel about Gemma, a girl who loved baseball but didn't play much. She didn't want to outshine her star brother who was a baseball star. And I mean she had a lot in her plate. I absolutely adored Gemma. She had flaws. She lacked confidence and she was trying to keep adjusting to her new life after her mother left her and her brothers. I cried for Gemma, with Gemma. I adored this tall awkward girl with a gold heart. And I'm sure if you give her a chance you will love her too.

This was a surprising read about a young girl figuring out how to put herself first during some really challenging times. It's a great read for middle schoolers and others, because it touches on so many things. I think that it's a great book for inspiring some conversations about gender, bullying, and family. There were a lot of moments, as I read this, where I really wanted the people around Gemma to stop being so selfish and self-centred: her father, her brother, her best friend, and the popular kids. At the same time, I was conflicted, because there were moments when Gemma made herself really hard to like, when she was dealing with her teacher about her project. And some of that was because Gemma is so tall and acting like an adult that I forgot that she was only 14 and still not mature enough to really process the things going on in her life with the maturity of an adult. And let's be honest, most adults would be challenged to do what she did without having some things go south.

The artwork is well done. The story moves and has some good character development, especially Gemma of course. My only reason for not giving this a 5 star is because the ending kind of wraps up with a neat little bow and so quickly that it was a bit jarring. But all in all, a good graphic novel for sure.

This was a really great story. I’m a huge baseball fan and always have been, so this was right up my alley. I read this on the same day that the first woman in history played in an NCAA D1 baseball game. I have high hopes that women keep pushing through boundaries in this sport.
Baseball was a big focus in this book, but it also centered around family. I really liked seeing Gemma and her brother grow closer together and understand each other more. It was hard to see how much pressure had been placed on the kids in each of their respective roles but it was nice to have a happy ending.
I enjoyed this one a lot!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What is it they say about Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Asaire did, but backwards and in heels? This applies to Gemma Hopper. She, in helping her brother’s batting practice, she has gotten better and better at throwing the ball, including all the ways the ball can be thrown.

Tommy, her brother is so good, he is going to go down to Florida to train, and get ready to go into the minor leagues. But one day, someone videos her pitching, and how quick she is, and she gets to be a minor celebrity on her own.

What is interesting about this novel is that Gemma is totally unaware of how good she is. And she has all the insecurities of one that is overworked, and unappreciated by her dad.

I like that this book opens the door for a possible sequel. The characters were very realistic.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book comes out April 22, 2023.